Method of and means for drafting and cutting clothing



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H. A. JACKSON. METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR- DRAPTING AND CUTTING CLOTHING.

No. 259,162. Patented June 6, 1882.

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METHOD 0]? ANDMEANS FOR DRAIETING ANDYGUTTIING CLOTHING. No. 259,162. Patented June 6, 1882.

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H. A. JACKSON.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR DRAFTING AND CUTTING CLOTHING. No. 259,162.- Patented June 6, 1882'.

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- of a similar pattern with alternative lines for from the corresponding portion of Fig. 3 in having all the diagonal lines curved. Fig. 6

-.To all whom it may concern the neck, and having also an additional dart UNITED STATES PATIENT O FICE.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR DRAFTING AND CUTTING CLOTHING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 259,162, dated June 6, 1882.

Application filed September 23, 1879.

Be it known that I, H. AYERS JACKSON, of Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented acertain new and use: ful Improvement in Methods of Measuring, Drafting, and Cutting Clothing; and I declare that the following is a'full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents the series of scales, which constitute one ofthe features ot'my invention. Fig. 2 represents the chart or form, which constitutes another feature of my invention. Fig. 3 represents a pattern of the upper part or waist of a garment determined in accordance with my improvements. Fig. 4 represents half the upper border, according to the degree of lowness with which the garment is to be cut in or gore on the left border. Fig. 5 represents the other half of the same pattern,diftering represents one half of another pattern, differing from that shown in Fig. 3 in having only one dart cut in the lower border, and having an additional dart on the left border. Fig. 7 represents the other halfof the same pattern, differing from that shown in Fig. 3 in being out in three pieces instead of four, and in having the back-slope line F Z continued up to the shoulder-blade, a modification suited to a form unusually narrow in the back. Fig. 8 represents a complete pattern, differing from that shown in Fig. 3 in havingthe right-hand half or back marked for cutting into three pieces only, and with curved (instead of straight)'diagonal lines. It is adapted to a slighter form than the pattern shown in Fig. 3; and Fig. 9 also represents a complete pattern, differingfrom that shownin Fig.3chiefiy in being adapted to a waist-circumference nearly as large as the bust-circumference.

My invention relates to processes of determining the dimensions and shape of the sev-.

eral pieces of which garments are composed; and the object of it is to make it possible to determine such dimensions and shape accurately in every case before cutting, so as to obviate the inconvenience incident to the methods heretofore in use of having to alter the shape more or less after trying the garment on. This object I attain by taking certain measurements additional to those heretofore in use by usinga seriesof scales bearing a uniform ratio to the bust-measures in connection with which they areflto be respectively used, on which scales, by definite parts and multiples, the subsidiary lines are to belaid 011', and by determining the directions of the several lines of cut in accordance with certain fixed curves,

' which are the same for persons of all sizes between a twenty-three and forty-eight inch bustmeasure and (absolute deformity apart) all shapes. The proportions determined by the scales corresponding closely with the actual measurements, each will be a check on the other, thus insuring correctness.

The scales are shown in Fig. 1 all in a single sheet. For use they are separated from each other. Each scale is to be used for the person whose bust-measure in inches is denoted by the number marked on the end of the scale, the scale being one-fourth of the bust-measure. The shortest scale shown is adapted to a bustmeasure of twenty-three inches, and thelong- .est to a measure of forty-eight, there being a different scale for each diit'erence of an inch in measurement. Where there is an odd fraction of an inch in the measurement the same off into ten equal parts, numbered from 0 to 9.

The whole of the marked portion, on each scale difl'ers from that on the scale next in length by about one-tenth of an inch, the difference varying between one-eighth and one-twelfth, and the difi'erence'in the length of a singledivision varying accordingly between one-eighth eth and one-one hundred and twentieth.

The chart shown in Fig. 2 combines in its outline all the curves necessary to be followed in cutting the material for clothing, and in such -a way that each can be distinguished from all the others. Bein g usually made of card-board or other stiff-material, it serves as a ruler by which to draw the requisite lines on the pattern paper or material. Its lines are correct for any person whose bust-measurement is not less than twenty-three nor more than fortyeight inches. In this figure the portion A A of the outline represents the bust-curve; B B, the front arm-size curve O G, the neck-curve D D, the back arm-size curve, and E E the dart or gore curve. F indicates the point of the dart or gore; G, the front neck-point, and the scaleH the diderent positions of the back neck-point.

The pattern shown in Fig. 3 is reduced from an actual draft made according to the following measurements: bust, thirty-six inches; waist, twenty-five; chest, fourteen; width of back, thirteen; length of back, seventeen; under arm, eight; shoulder, six and one-half; neck, eleven; arm-size, sixteen neck and front, twenty.

My method of measuring is as follows, all the measurements being taken over the same thickness of under-clothin g and artificial fullness that is to be worn under the garment for which the measurements are made. In taking the bust-measure the person measuring stands in front of the person being measured and passes the tape straight across the back, just under the shoulder-blades, and around over the fullest part of the breast to the point of beginning, whereit is held with the thumb and finger, while the person measured is turned around in order to make sure that the attitude is perfectly natural, the arms dropping at the sides, &c., and that the tape is on the line just described. Both the attitude and the position of the tape being found right, the measure is ascertained and noted, care being taken not to draw the tape too tight, as an easy measure is requisite to a satisfactory fit. If the measure comes between two of those denoted by the scales, the longer is always selected, and an inch and a half is added for fullness. For the waist measure, the tapeis passed tight around the smallest part of the waist. The chest-measure is taken close from arm to arm, just above the swell of the breast. The point where the arm joins the body is ascertained by raising and lowering the arm. The width-ofback measure is taken close from arm to arm, above the shoulder-blades. To take the lengthof-back measure, the end of the tapeis placed on the apparent top bone of the spinal column and the distance noted from that to a point about half an inch below the levelof the top hip-bone. The under-arm measure is taken from the highest point under the arm at which the tape can be easily placed to a point just back of the top of the hip-bone. For the arm-size measure the tape is carried close under the arm and over the point of the shoulder. For the shouldermeasure the end of the tape is placed as high on the neck as the garment is to come, and the measure is taken along the ridge of the shoulder to the point of it. For the neck-measure the'tape is passed around the neck, close but easy. For the neck-and-front measure the end of the tape is placed on the top apparent bone of the spinal column and the measure taken to the center of the breast, close but easy, and thence down as low as it is desired to have the waist drop. The sum of the chest and widthof-back measures and two-thirds of the armsize measure-4'. 0., the approximate diameters of the two arm-sizeswill be found equal (within an inch or two) to the bust-measure, if all are correct, and a comparison of this sum with the bust-measure will be found a useful check on the accuracy of each.

The method of drafting is as follows, reference being bad to Fig. 3 of the drawings: I draw a line, A A, across the upper part of the paper for a top waist-line, and another, B B, within an inch and a half of the left edge of the paper, about as long as the length-of-back measure, for a bust-line. I select the scale corresponding to the bust-measure of the person to be fitted and mark off its length twice, B D- G, from the bust-line along the top waist-line. In the same way I lay off two lengths of the scale B D 0 parallel to A A, near the bottom of the paper. I then draw a straight line from C to G for a back-line and from D to D for a center back-line. I now lay off from the top waist-line along the bust-line the length of 5 back B E, which in the draft from which Fig. 3 is reduced is seventeen inches. I lay off the same distance, 0 E, on the back-line, and then draw E E for a bottom waist-line. I next lay off from the bottom waist-line, E E, along the bust-line B B and the back-line (l G, the length of the under-arm measure E F, (eight inches in the draft represented in Fig. 3) and draw F F for the under-arm line. I now lay off six divisions of the scale from the top waistline, A A, on the bust-line B B to the point G, which indicates the lowest pointin the neck of the garment. I alsolay off six divisions from the bust-line along the top waist-line to G, which indicates the back of the neck. I also lay off three divisions from the top waist-line, A A, on the center back-line, D D,to H, which indicates the point of the shoulder and top of the front armsize, and draw from the top waist-line a straight line, G H, for the front shoulder-line. Laying off five divisions of the scale from the under-arm line F F down the bust-line B B to I, and four divisions from F F down the center back-line, D D, to I, I draw a straight line,ll,for the upper dart-line. On this I lay off from the bust-line B B seven divisions of the scale to J, which indicates the apex of the front dart. I then lay off six divisions to the right of J on the same line to the point K, which indicates the apex of the back dart. I lay off four divisions from the bust-line along the bottom waist-line to J, which will indicate the bottom of the front dart; then three divisions to the right of J, along the same line to J, showing the greatest breadth of the front dart. From J, the right corner of the front dart, I lay off to the right one division of the IIO scale to K, which will indicate the front corner of the back dart. Laying off to the right of this four divisions, I again mark K to indicate the back corner of the back dart. I now lay the form or chart (shown in Fig. 2) on the paper, with the dart-point F uppermost and coinciding with the point J on the line I I, and turn the chart about this point until the left of the two points Jon theliueE E also coincides with the dart-curve. (Indicated by the letters E E on the chart.) Then, using the chart as a ruler, I draw the front dart-line, J J, from the bottom waist-line, E E, to the line I I. The front line, K K, of the back dart is drawn in the same manner, and the back lines of both darts in the same manner after placing the reverse surface of the chart uppermost. I now lay off from the bust-line B B, on the under-arm line F F, half the width of the chest to L, and on the same line, from the back-line O O to the left, half the width of the back to M. I next lay off three divisions of the scale on a perpendicular line upward from L to N, also on a perpendicular line upwardfrom M to O, and also seven divisions on the same line from O to P, which last point will indicate the top of the back of the arm-size and the back-shoulder point, the line 0 P marking the back of the arm-size. I now place the chart so that the frontarm-size curve (denoted by the letters B B in Fig. 2) will at the same time touch the shoulder-point H and a point on the under-arm line F F half-way between L and M, and come within an eighth, or, at most, a quarter, of an inch of N. Then, using this curve of the chart as a ruler, I draw the front arm-size line from H to the under-arm line at 7. I then move the chart back and place it so that the backarm-size curve (denoted by the letters D D in Fig. 2) will at the same time coincide with the point 0 and intersect the underarm line. Then, using the curve of the chart as a ruler, I draw the back curve of the armsize from O to the under-arm line. I then move the chart so that its front neck-point, G, shall coincide with the point G on the bustline B B, and then turn the chart backward and upward until it intersects the point G on the top waist-line, A A. Then, using the edge of the chart as aruler, I draw the neck-curve from G to G. I now lay off from the bust-line a quarter of an inch, G T, on the neck-curve G G and produce the bottom waist-line three eighths of an inch to the left of the bust-line. I then lay the chart with the upper end of the bust-curve (A A in Fig. 2) at T, the convexity being on the left, so that that curve shall also touch the extremity of-the prolongation of the bottom waist-line, and, using this curve of the chart as a ruler, I draw a line from T to a point, U, about half an inch below the bottom waist-line. I then draw a straight line from U to the bottom waist-line at D for the'lower border of the front waist-piece. I next lay off four divisions of the scale on the top waistline to the left, from its intersection with the back-line O O to the point V, for the width of the back at the top, and draw a straight line, VP, for the back-shoulder slope. On this last line I lay off seven divisions of the scale from the point Vto the point- IV. On the under-arm line F F I lay off six divisions of the scale to the left from the line C O to the point X, the line F X denoting the width of the back at this height. On the bottom waistline, to the left from the line U G, I lay of one division of the scale to the point Z, to indicate the spring of the back. Themwithout moving the scale, I lay off three more divisions to the point Y, corresponding to the width of the back at the bottom-of the waist. I then draw a straight line from Z to the point F in the line C O. I then draw the straight line X Y and a straight line from W to 1, the point 1 being in the line X Y and near its middle point.- After deducting from half the waist-measure (which half in the case of the draft from which Fig. 3 is reduced is twelve and onehalf inches) the Width of back Z Y, the distance between the darts K J, and the space J B in front of the front dart, the remainder of the half-waist measure, on being applied to the remainder of the bottom waist-line on the draft, will be found to fall short of it, showing therefore a surplus in the draft to be cut out. This surplus in the draft, from which Fig. 3 is reduced, is an inch and a half. This surplus I divide into three equal parts. The first of these, Y 3, I mark off to the left of Y; then cut out the lower part of the back on the lines Z F G and Y as high up as the shoulderblade, or to a line intersecting the line W Y at 4, being in the present draft three and onehalf inches from W. Then carry the bottom of the back-piece, when so cut out, over to the left until the points Y and 3 coincide, and then draw the overlapping piece smooth and mark the line 3 to 4. I then cut out the triangular piece Y 3 4. I next lay off two divisions of the scale to the left of the point 3 on the bottom waist-piece to the point 2, and with aruler or the bust-curve of the chart (according as a straight or curved line is preferred) I draw a line from O in the back arm-size to the point 2 in the bottom waist-line for the side backline. The second equal part, 5 2, of the surplus I mark off on the bottom waist-line to the left of the point2, and draw acurved or straight line from O to 5 in the same manner as from O to 2. The triangular strip 0 2 5, I cut out. On the back arm-size line I mark the point 8 half-way between the points 0 and 7, and on the bottom waist-line the point 10 half-waybetween D and 5. The remaining equal part, 10-9, of the surplus I lay off to the right of 10 on the same line, and thus secure an equal division of the under-arm pieces. I then place the chart, with its convexity to the right, in such a position that the upper end of the bustcurve A A in Fig. 2 shall be at the point 8 on the back arm-size line and the curve shall also coincide with the point 9 on the bottom waistline. Then, with the chart as a ruler, I draw a line between those points. I then turn the chart over, so that its convexity shall be at the left, and place it so that the bust-curve shall pass through the points 10 and 11, the latter being in the line 8 9 half an inch below the under-arm line. Then by the bust-curve I draw a line from 10 toll. Ithen markofi' the point 12 half an inch below 7 on the center backline, D D, and the point 13 on the same line half an inch above the bottom waistline. Then with the bust-curve of the chart I draw two lines from 12 to 13, having their convexities to the right and left, respectively, and their concavities toward each other. Finally, I draw a slightly-curved line from G on the top waist-line to the point 14 just below the front-shoulder line, G H, and a similar curve from V to the point 15 on the line C O. The draft is then ready to cut out.

What I claim as my invention,- and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The process of drafting patterns for clothing by means of a series of scales bearing a uniform ratio of length to a corresponding series of bust-measures, and varying from each other in length by a uniform progression, with a common difl'erence of about one-tenth of an inch, and each having about one-tenth of the length of the corresponding bust-measure laid off on-one end of it and subdivided by parallel lines into a uniform number of equal parts, for the purpose of laying off by fixed proportions other lines and distances to determine the shape in which the material shall be out, substantially as described.

2. In the process of cutting clothing, the mode of determining the directions of the several curves in every case by a chart combining in its outline the bust-curve,frontand back arm-size curves, neck-curve, and dart-curve. each distinct from all the others, substantially as shown and described.

3. The chart or form shown in Fig. 2, presenting in combination distinct guide-lines for drawing the bust, front and back'arm-size, neck and dart curves for any garment, substantially as shown and described, and for the purposes set forth.

4. The process of measuring, drafting, and cutting clothing hereinabove described consisting in taking measurements of the bust, waist, chest, width of back, length of back, length under arm, arm-size, shoulder, circumference of neck, and neck and front, in determining the length of subsidiary lines by layin g off fixed parts or multiples on a scale whose length is about one-fourth the number of inches in the bust-measure, and on which about one- .tcnth of the length of the bust-measure is laid off and divided by parallel lines into auniform number of equal parts, and in determining the directions of the several lines by a prescribed set of curves uniform for all shapes and sizes.

5. In the drafting of patterns for clothing, the mode hereinbefore described of distributing the surplus to be removed, which consists in constructing and locating the triangles Y 3 4, 2 O 5, and 9 1O 11 and the doubly-convex figure 12 13, substantially as described and shown.

H. AYERS JACKSON.

Witnesses ED. JACKSON, WALTER JACKSON. 

